A Tale of Two - No, Three – Bridges: Replacement Slated for 2018

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A public forum regarding the state Department of Transportation’s plans to replace two bridges in Saratoga County and maintain a third volleyed between the productive and the contentious during a meeting at the Saratoga Music Hall on Nov. 15. The forum was attended by NYSDOT representatives, area residents and local business owners. NYSDOT Project Manager Richard Filkins discussed the two bridges the agency plans to replace in 2018. The bridges that carry Crescent Avenue over the Northway, in Saratoga Springs, and East High Street over the Northway, in the town of Malta, will be completely replaced with modern bridges of steel construction that have a projected lifespan of 70 years. Enlarged maps were set up in the room for residents to view proposed detours that will be put in place at both Crescent Avenue and East High Street when work commences. NYSDOT Regional Director Sam Zhou and several other NYSDOT representatives provided information and answered questions related to the upcoming work. Local community leaders from Saratoga Springs and Malta present included Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, who thanked the NYSDOT for holding the meeting and for their cooperation and great partnership with the community. Filkins calmed citizens’ concerns about the potentially negative impact on local emergency vehicles’ response time to calls from residents and businesses on the west side of the bridge as work progressed. Filkins stated that the NYSDOT met with local emergency services representatives in Malta and Saratoga to devise optimal detour routes for emergency vehicles during the construction. Residents on the east side of the Northway have been concerned about being cut off from access to services located in Saratoga Springs. Filkins said the city will work to discourage detoured traffic from using Kaydeross Avenue, which is a narrow road that cannot safely accommodate trucks, cyclists, pedestrians and additional vehicular traffic. Filkins also noted that plans are in place for both new bridges to have expanded five-foot wide shoulders to accommodate the growing amount of bicycle and pedestrian traffic in the area. Nelson Avenue Extension Bridge Following the question and comment period regarding the two replacement projects, discussion turned to the future of the Nelson Avenue Extension bridge. Residents raised questions about the political motivations of the NYSDOT decision, as well as the agency’s lack of a plan to replace the Nelson Avenue Extension bridge any time soon. Others asked how the NYSDOT could have changed their earlier position - which included a proposal to demolish the bridge without replacing it - only to later tell the public that the bridge was in better condition than the other two bridges scheduled to be replaced. Filkins, Zhou and others repeatedly attempted to reassure concerned citizens that NYSDOT was committed to providing the community with regular six-month updates on the status of the bridge. Zhou said that while there were no current funds available to replace the bridge, there were things NYSDOT can and will do to “maintain” the bridge, and prevent future erosion from water seeping into the concrete “boxes” that connect the center spans to the side spans. Both Filkins and Zhou explained that they had to make decisions based on the condition of the structures, as well as the volume of traffic that travels over them. “We have a certain amount of money and we have to use it where it is needed the most,” said Filkins, noting that the volume over the Crescent Avenue and the East High Street bridges is significantly higher than the traffic across the Nelson Avenue Extension bridge. “Take my word, we will keep the bridge open,” Zhou added. Suzanne Balet-Haight, organizer of a petition that initiated dialogue between residents and elected officials and resulted in NYSDOT’s decision not to demolish the bridge, thanked area political leaders for working together to prevent the demolition of the Nelson Avenue Extension bridge. However, she said, the bridge is still “at risk” and the work of the community, along with their elected officials and of NYSDOT, was not done. “Maybe monitoring is enough for now. But, it’s the same kind of bridge and construction as the other two bridges, and it was built at the same time they were,” said Balet-Haight, in remarks made after the meeting. “Now, it’s an issue of when it will be replaced.” Balet-Haight conceded that the NYSDOT and Regional Director Zhou are in a tough position, with a limited amount of funds. “It’s important that, when the next round of funding comes into the NYSDOT, we need to be a strong, unified voice once again,” she said.